Implantable medical devices, for example cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators, often include elongate medical electrical leads having one or more electrodes to sense electrical activity and deliver therapeutic stimulation. In recent years, with the advent of left ventricular pacing to alleviate heart failure, leads have been advanced into the coronary veins in order to position the electrodes of the leads at left ventricular pacing sites, typically located in proximity to the base of the left ventricle. Although a variety of left ventricular pacing leads, along with methods for implanting such leads, have been developed, there is still a need for a lead including features that facilitate delivery to, and fixation at, sites in the coronary vasculature.
One type of left lead adapted for placement in the coronary vasculature is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,860,580, issued to Sommer, et al. and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Another type of left lead adapted for placement in the coronary vasculature is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,532,939, issued to Sommer, et al. and also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. An improvement to leads of this type is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/793,622, filed Mar. 11, 2013 by Sommer, et al. also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Additional designs for a side-helix leads are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,492, issued to Stokes, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,529,584, issued to Laske, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 7,313,445, issued to McVenes, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,591, issued to Stokes, U.S. Pat. No. 6,556,874, issued to Audoglio, all of which are incorporated herein in their entireties.